As the machines roared and construction workers toiled quickly and carefully, they watched it all unfold from their living rooms. The new campus was being built, and the citizens at Delmar Gardens West could see it every day just over the fence. Now, eighth graders are taking initiative to get acquainted with their new neighbors, and it’s proving to be beneficial for both sides.
Since November of this year, around ten to twelve eighth graders have been visiting residents every week to play games, chat, and keep each other company for about an hour and a half. Under the guidance of Judy Honeycutt, and Susan Hall, middle school English teachers, students now freely have the opportunity to serve in a practical, meaningful way on a regular basis.
“Last spring, the eighth grade team of teachers began to pray about opportunities for eighth graders (who don’t drive and don’t have tons of money) to serve others after the example of Christ. Our core belief was that a well-rounded WCA student should be a serving student,” said Honeycutt.
This service is all voluntary, but many students continue to show up every week. It has become less about potential service hours for NJHS members and more about the heart of the matter.
“It is open to anyone in eighth grade at any time they wish to join. It has been exciting to see who is drawn to participate. The core group has been very faithful and others have joined in as they hear about the joy we share serving these dear ones,” said Honeycutt.
A Christmas party was thrown, but some students took it to the next level and visited Delmar friends with their parents on Christmas Eve. This was not a scheduled visiting time, but many students took initiative to genuinely care about their elderly friends.
“They simply missed their older friends and wanted to wish them a Merry Christmas. That showed me this was not a project but a living, loving relationship between the generations,” said Honeycutt.
The students enjoy serving to get free from daily stress at school and to have a good time with the residents.
“I really like to go to Delmar Gardens because the residents appreciate seeing us. All you have to do is be you, and it brings joy to them–that young people want to come to see them. Seeing people smile is a really great feeling,” said Jake McKie, eighth grade.
These newly made friends will be honorary guests at WCA’s Grandparents Day visit and will finally be able to see the inside of the building.
“To appease their curiosity and to be neighborly, we have received permission to invite them to Grandparents Day in two weeks…we hope to give them a ‘wheelchair tour’ of our school building,” said Honeycutt.
Eighth graders are learning that service is an important regular practice. In engaging with these elderly citizens, they are constantly learning the values of face to face communication, patience, understanding, and listening.
“Service is not necessarily about giving away money or things. Service is about sharing the person that God has made us to be with others in the Kingdom who are made in His image. We have made new friends who have had interesting life experiences, have learned to be patient and empathetic with others, and to slow down and show up. We have experienced great joy simply in listening rather than talking while sharing the gift of presence with those who are often overlooked in our fast-paced culture that values productivity and efficiency over conversation. Sadly we have just experienced the death of one of our Delmar friends, so we are also learning about the reality of limitation and loss,” said Honeycutt.